Iron, Rust and Blood
by Tatsumaki-sama
Summary: The first of the three murders was only the beginning. The real game of hide and seek began when Hijikata Toshiro was taken.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gintama or any of its characters.  
 **Title:** Iron, Rust and Blood  
 **Summary:** The first of the three murders was only the beginning. The real game of hide and seek began when Hijikata Toshiro was taken.  
 **Characters:** Hijikata Toshiro, Sakata Gintoki and Sougo Okita with mentions of others  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Warnings:** Violence, disturbing imagery, blood  
 **Author's Note:** This is probably one of the darker, horror-filled stories I've written before. I was inspired by a Gintama story I've read where there was a monster/killer on the loose and another one where Hijikata gets captured and I thought it would be a lovely idea to combine the two. I also decided to try a different style of writing than what I'm used to, just to switch things around. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

It began like this.

A middle aged woman was found dead in an alleyway. There were spots of blood dotting the dirty ground around her, matching the cuts laced over her arms. Strange bruising was found around her neck and blood staining over the front of her shirt. The police are confused. Her purse innocently laid near the body and all the bills remained in her wallet.

A week later, a high school boy was found next. The janitor came in early and discovered the body lying in the school hallway. Like the first victim, he too had cuts, this time on his legs, and bruising around his neck. But unlike the first victim, his body was shrivelled and hunched over as if drained of all bodily fluids, and there was only a tiny blotch of blood on his clothes.

Three days after, before the media could finish making a racket about the boy, a withered body of an elderly woman was found in her apartment after her neighbours complained to the manager about the foul smell coming from her room. Her blood was mysteriously gone from her body and this time, not even a speck of blood decorating her dishevelled nightgown.

The police tried to keep the peace but people were already feeling restless and uneasy. They whispered about serial killers and crazed murderers and they sprouted wild notions that were as unlikely as the next.

~.~.~

The Yorozuya became involved because the son of the first victim came to visit them. Eyes still red and wearing his crumpled funeral suit, he requested for them to help them find his mother's ring.

The police brushed his concerns aside – after all, your mother just died. How could you worry about some ring? But the son insisted his mother would never part willingly from her late husband's ring. The murderer didn't care for money but why take the ring then?

Gintoki had half a mind to decline. He heard from Otose about the murders and he didn't want to get involved in that mess. (didn't people know self-proclaimed detectives more often than not ended up way over their heads and produce stalkers in murderers?) But Shinpachi harassed him, Kagura whined they were low on food and a job was a job nevertheless.

Their investigation started slow and uneventful. The police had blocked off alleyway, school and apartment floor, unintentionally giving them free reign to sniff around. They met with family and friends and endured long hours of tears, frustration and mourning.

They began to notice that the other victims also lost certain little items. A teary-eyed girlfriend spoke how they couldn't find her boyfriend's baseball cap that she had given to him for their anniversary and she saw him wearing it to school that day. A sobbing brother mentioned that his sister's knitting needles, a birthday gift from their father, was missing and his sister always did a little bit of knitting before she went to bed.

Shinpachi had frowned, wondering why the killer would take such nondescript things from their victims. Neither Kagura or Gintoki had an answer to that.

~.~.~

The fourth victim, only one day after the third, eventually sent the entire city in an uproar. Citizens began to panic. If a Shinsengumi officer could be a victim, then what chance did they as the common mass have?

But everyone was soon puzzled by the very marked differences this victim had compared to the other victims.

Firstly, there was evidence of a fight in the quiet warehouse where the scene of the crime was. That was to be expected. No Shinsengumi officer would die without putting up a fight. The officer's blood was smeared against a wall as if his body was thrown against it. An unidentified match of grisly blood was splattered on the floor. It was the first indication that the serial killer was actually a physical being instead of a ghost like people had guessed.

Secondly, there was no body left behind. They searched the warehouse but there was nothing but the officer's sword and cigarettes left behind. They questioned why the killer would shift from their usual motif. Perhaps the officer forced the killer to abruptly change their plans. Or perhaps the killer took the officer to continue to play with its prey before delivering the final, bloody strike. They all shuddered at that thought.

And lastly, said Shinsengumi officer happened to be Hijikata Toshiro.

~.~.~

The Shinsengumi headquarters was frightfully quiet. Kondou's face was pale and he looked like a lost child. Okita had gone out on patrol. He told the others not to bother waiting for him. There was an odd gleam in his eyes and they were wise enough not to comment about it.

The Yorozuya were there too. Someone had notified the Shinsengumi about their little investigation and they were summoned there. Kondou asked, with a slight tremble in his voice, what they had discovered, if anything could help them find Hijikata. Shinpachi shared what they found and they were left in silence and nowhere closer to the truth.

Gintoki sighed for the umpteenth time; he really hated getting involved. He stood up and left, ignoring their questions.

~.~.~

Hijikata was out one evening when he called by a small crying child who begged him to come help his father who apparently collapsed near a warehouse. He sent his partner to call the ambulance while he went to take a look, quietly suspecting the boy's father might be the latest victim. The boy led him to his father and years of experience taught Hijkata the "father" was long dead and cold at the mere touch of his hand. Instinct took over and he pulled out his sword to slash at the monstrous clawed hand that abruptly reached for his face.

The boy, now sporting a malicious grin and crimson eyes, admired how quick Hijikata was and casually waved its bloody stump of a hand. No one had been able to do that to it before. Its smile widened and suddenly, Hijikata felt a shiver of fear through his spine.

His instinct screamed at him to move again and he did, managing to move out of the way before something shot past his shoulder. Nails tore through cloth and he gritted his teeth at the sharp pain and he lashed out his sword to cut down the "father" that floated like a string-less puppet.

He barely had enough time to raise his sword to block the boy-monster who thrust its remaining hand at him to tear off his arm. Hijikata stood his ground for a second before the detached hand sprang towards him. He managed to kick the hand away before the father puppet lunged for his arm, wrenching his sword from his grasp. The boy-monster took advantage of his distraction to slam him to the opposing wall.

It congratulated him for lasting this long. Hijikata could feel his legs tremble under his weight and with cold dread, he realized there was _something_ in those claws that was making his body weaken and crumble against his will. The boy-monster flippantly reconnected its loose hand and remarked it was rare for someone to last this long.

Hijikata's vision blurred and he was dimly aware of warm blood trickling down his arm. The boy-monster gasped devilishly and said what a waste before leaning forward and Hijikata caught a glimpse of pointy teeth before they sunk deep into his shoulder.

His last conscious thought was that Sougo was right about vampires being involved after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gintama or any of its characters.  
 **Title:** Iron, Rust and Blood  
 **Summary:** The first of the three murders was only the beginning. The real game of hide and seek began when Hijikata Toshiro was taken.  
 **Characters:** Hijikata Toshiro, Sakata Gintoki and Sougo Okita with mentions of others  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Warnings:** Violence, disturbing imagery, blood  
 **Author's Note:** This is probably one of the darker, horror-filled stories I've written before. I was inspired by a Gintama story I've read where there was a monster/killer on the loose and another one where Hijikata gets captured and I thought it would be a lovely idea to combine the two. I also decided to try a different style of writing than what I'm used to, just to switch things around. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Gintoki stood inside the warehouse, casually slipping past the guards Kondou had placed there. He frowned at the growing stench of blood and glanced at the murky stains on the wall and floor, its edges becoming rusted and dark in such a short time.

In his mind, he imagined how the fight had gone (if he were to admit that he and Hijikata shared a similar fighting style and thought process, he immediately burned that thought out of his mind). The killer must have move quickly since he had known there was reinforcements arriving soon. Hijikata would have been fast to injure the killer but not enough to slow the killer down. He must have distracted Hijikata enough to land a hit hand enough to either render him unconscious or subdue him just enough to drain him of his blood and leave with his body.

The killer grew bolder with each confrontation. First, a dark alley where few people would tread during the evenings. A high school after hours where lone students sometimes wandered. An apartment building where a lonely widow resided. An empty warehouse to lure a Shinsengumi officer to investigate.

Instead of taking some trinket, they chose to leave behind Hijikata's sword and cigarettes like they wanted the Shinsengumi to know who they had taken.

It was a warning to the Shinsengumi, Gintoki realized. The killer decided to take Hijikata, not only to toy with its prey a little while longer, but because Hijikata was an irreplaceable part of the Shinsengumi. It was to prove the killer could take someone so valuable that they wouldn't even realize it before it was too late. And watch them flounder and struggle as a result.

The killer wasn't finished with them yet. They hadn't left a body yet – the very thought of it made his skin pucker uncomfortably – so now it was their turn to continue the game.

~.~.~

Hijikata woke up to find himself chained to a wall, his arms wrenched upwards and his shoulder ached in that position. The dusty smell of papers, coffee stains and cheap fragrance told him he was in an office building of some sort. His legs remained frozen and locked in place, the venom still coursing through them. A dull headache wedged its way between his eyes and he had to blink several times to clear his foggy vision.

Only to see the boy-monster staring right at him, crouching a few meters away.

He flinched, startled at how close they were. How powerless he was in this situation. Instinctively, he tried to back away but his head only ended up hitting the back of the wall and he cursed at the now forming bruise at the back of his head.

Smiling pleasantly as if it really was a young careless child, the boy-monster held out a water bottle. Drink, it said.

He could see the bottle cap was earlier opened and an undissolved speck floated near the rim. Hijikata replied through clenched teeth that he wasn't thirsty even though his tongue was parched.

The boy-monster smiled wider and Hijikata didn't have time to react when the boy-monster suddenly grabbed his face, jerking his entire head back and forcing the water down his mouth.

He violently coughed and spat out as much water as he could but the damage was done. A good amount of water burned its way through his throat. He demanded through watery eyes what the hell was put in there.

The boy-monster chuckled and said he would find out soon.

~.~.~

Okita was prowling like a restless beast. The streets were mostly empty, the residents scuttling quickly to return to their houses, to the warm comforts and safety of their homes. How stupid of them, he thought. Thinking those brittle walls and breakable bricks could protect them.

But still, Hijikata was the stupidest out of them all. Letting himself get caught by a killer like that. Okita sighed that he should just get the vice commander position because at least he wasn't as stupid as Hijikata.

Kondou wanted to head out himself to lead the search but Okita and the others shot down his persistent insistence that he had to be the one to do it. The killer made a move against the Shinsengumi and against their vice commander and if their commander was next on the list ... Okita's mouth quirked in grim amusement. It would be killing two birds with one stone if that were the case.

Either way, that idiot better not be dead first. After all, it was his job to kill Hijikata and anyone who tried to get his way would have to apologize with a sword through their gut. Or maybe a severed head. Or perhaps chopped up limbs. Okita had yet to decide which punishment would be suitable.

~.~.~

The minutes crawled by and with each passing second, the pounding against his head only worsened. Hijikata could feel his heart beating abnormally hard against his chest, hammering against his rib cage, sending tremors through his entire system.

Sweat began to coat his skin, sticking to his hair, and he could barely breath without his lungs burning like they were on fire. His stomach rolled uncomfortably and he almost heaved and he fought to push back the rising bile in his throat.

It didn't take long for him to realize what the boy-monster was attempting to do. The drug that now coursed through his veins and helpfully pumped along by his traitorous heart was meant to agitate his heart, causing his blood to rush and pulsate throughout his body.

All the more blood for the boy-monster to consume.

It would be a never-ending cycle, he bitterly realized. He would be fed the drug and once his heart had overworked itself, the boy-monster would come and drain him as a daily meal, before letting his body recover enough to start the sequence again. And again. And again.

He found himself feeling slightly envious of the previous three victims. Their deaths appeared quick though not entirely painless but at least they were put out of their misery. Who knew how long it would take before his heart finally gave up or when the boy-monster grew tired of him.

And the boy-monster watched him with mounting glee.

~.~.~

Shinpachi dutifully made another cup of tea for Kondou and quietly took away the previous cup that was now cold and untouched. He didn't know where Gintoki had gone and Kagura, bored and restless that a certain sadist was not there, returned home. The other Shinsengumi officers were searching and questioning but far too many people shook their heads and retreated behind doors.

He wasn't quite sure why he remained here in the den of wolves. He would not go as far as to say they were friends but they were allies and rivals, bound through adventures and schemes that only they fully understood or cared about.

Hijikata was not someone he was particularly close to – if anything, he related more to Kondou who shared and fought for the affections of his sister. But Hijikata, he reminded Shinpachi of Gintoki.

If something had happened to Gintoki and he was left behind, would he and Kagura be drifting directionless without their leader? Would he be like Kondou, sitting and patiently waiting for some sign that Gintoki was still alive? Or would he be like Okita, out hunting in the night to demand the answer he wanted?

He hoped he would never have to know.

~.~.~

Hijikata was only sluggishly aware that the boy-monster was speaking, saying something to him. It's time, he thought he heard. The palpitations of his heart and his harsh irregular breaths was all he could hear at this point.

It crouched towards him slowly. Its eyes were glittering in the dimness of the dark room as glowing red dots that drifted only closer and closer, almost hypnotically.

The boy-monster reached him. He tried to move but all he managed to do was slump against the wall. His head was forcefully jerked back and his throat was exposed. The boy-monster pressed its face to his skin, inhaling deeply. It took every ounce of his strength not to shudder at the sickly warm air brushing against the drumming pulse in his veins.

There was a flash of gleaming bone-white teeth and something digging, driving and burning into his neck.

There was no air or any time for him to scream.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gintama or any of its characters.  
 **Title:** Iron, Rust and Blood  
 **Summary:** The first of the three murders was only the beginning. The real game of hide and seek began when Hijikata Toshiro was taken.  
 **Characters:** Hijikata Toshiro, Sakata Gintoki and Sougo Okita with mentions of others  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Warnings:** Violence, disturbing imagery, blood  
 **Author's Note:** This is probably one of the darker, horror-filled stories I've written before. I was inspired by a Gintama story I've read where there was a monster/killer on the loose and another one where Hijikata gets captured and I thought it would be a lovely idea to combine the two. I also decided to try a different style of writing than what I'm used to, just to switch things around. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Warm blood – oh so delicious blood – gushed into its mouth and it revelled in the familiar insatiable coppery taste.

The medication developed from his planet always mixed well with the young and fresh and this human was no exception. Its teeth sunk harder on flesh, drawing out more blood, as it hungrily leaned into the curve of the human's neck, demanding more and more.

The human made an odd harsh choking sound. Ahh yes, it just remembered it couldn't bite too deep. The last few humans died far too quickly and their blood dried up too soon when its teeth punctured their delicate arteries and they bled to death, wasting precious food. It was disappointing to know how fragile humans were compared to other Amanto races yet their blood was exquisitely luscious beyond anything it had ever sampled. It wouldn't make the same mistake with this one.

It eased back, loosening its jaw and the human made less distressing sounds. It breathed in, enjoying another intoxicating mouthful. It was pleased it had chosen this human to keep. The other three weren't very much fun. They simply cried and squirmed and begged. This human knew how to fight and how to fight good. Adrenaline pumping through human blood tasted even better and the rush of a rousing fight was just as appetizing.

The human was no longer struggling, its pulse vibrating dully. It reluctantly took one final drink lest it accidentally deprived the human of all its blood (it had learned the hard way with those other three snacks). The human sagged against the wall once it was released, its eyes half-lidded, mouth slack.

It tapped the human's cheek to see if it was still conscious and the human's head only lolled weakly in response.

Shame. It had expected the human to last longer. The human lasted longer in the fight and it was more fun having a prey fight and struggle to the bitter end than having a prey that was tied up and waited to be feasted on.

It licked the remaining drops of blood over its teeth, quietly contemplating a new plan of action.

~.~.~

In the end, Okita found himself back at the scene of the crime and he wasn't surprised to see Gintoki emerge from the warehouse, blatantly ignoring the bright yellow tape barricading the area.

Their exchange was polite, crisp and short. Neither found anything of importance so they came to a silent agreement to return back to the headquarters. Night had fallen and it was no good for their bodies and beauty rest to continue to slave and toil away for a mayonnaise addict.

They had been about to leave when a flutter and crunch of paper caught their attention. They turned around to see a tiny white slip pressed between the doors that Gintoki had just closed. Gintoki, being the closer one, reached out and smoothed it out to read.

The boss and the captain looked at one another. Gintoki sighed about having to read lousy handwriting and Okita complained about childish games, but both of them were intently scanning the surrounding area.

 _Do you want to play hide and seek?_

The killer was now taunting them. Was this their objective all along? The killer had murdered three people and kidnapped the fourth to make the rest of them play hide and seek?

 _If you do, follow the papers._

Another rustle of paper in the distance caught their attention. They've become Hansel and Gretel, following breadcrumbs. And unlike the two children in the fairy tale, they foolishly decided to head into a forest where they knew an unappealing gingerbread house and a wicked witch awaited them.

~.~.~

Against his better judgement, Shinpachi found himself following Kondou into the stuffy office building. A businessman returning back to his office to retrieve his suitcase discovered the doors on his floor already opened and the locks broken into. He immediately and wisely called the police. The forensic team quickly alerted the Shinsengumi and told them there were signs that Hijikata was there.

Emphasis on _was_.

The dimness of the hallway simply contributed to the eerie emptiness of the building. It was strangely appropriate for the place of a kidnapping. Shinpanchi uneasily swallowed. They had not been told a body was found but his imagination went wild and each scenario was as gruesome and ghastly as the next.

Bloody tools of knives, syringes and saws laid neatly on the floor, inviting them to come solve a riddle ... Crimson was smeared grotesquely over the walls, painting vivid imagery of the killer's artwork ... A lonesome detached arm awaited them, fingers twisted into a mocking gesture ...

To his immense relief (and also increasing apprehensiveness), there was no sign of bloodshed or violence. The office space had tables, chairs and things shuffled aside to the corner. A lonely pair of handcuffs and chain dangled innocently at the opposing wall and he held back a shiver, trying not to imagine what the killer was doing or had done to Hijikata.

A forensic team member reported to Kondou and Shinpachi discreetly leaned forward to listen too to learn a few new things.

One: A water bottle was found with Hijikata's saliva.

Two: It contained traces of a certain drug found off planet that induced a faster heart rate.

Three: They were dealing with an Amanto.

Four: Hijikata was still alive and for some unfathomable reason, the killer had took him elsewhere.

~.~.~

He woke up yet again feeling sick to his stomach. He was grimly aware and slightly surprised to find he was still alive.

His neck was impossibly sore and stiff. If he had the mobility to look, he would have seen the grisly splashes of dark bruises and puncture marks decorating his skin. The insides of his throat felt like they were rubbed raw with sandpaper and he almost choked on his own spit as he tried to swallow. His heart was no longer spluttering rapidly but weakly trembling, spent from the exertion it was forced to endure. He felt cold, his old sweat clinging to his skin, and his body shook with exhaustion, trying to replace the blood he had lost.

He buried his face into his shoulder, too tired and too dizzy to even change positions, wishing he could stay here a little longer.

... on the grass?

Raising his head, despite his neck screaming in protest, Hijikata surveyed his surroundings, breath hitched. There was nothing but green and brown for miles around.

He was alone in the middle of a forest and the boy-monster nowhere to be found.

A flock of birds squawked in the distance, nearly making him jump out of his skin. He wasn't familiar with where he was. Edo and its countryside had many scatters of forests and his mouth went dry at the thought of how long he was unconscious and just how far the boy-monster had carried him to.

He remained sitting there like a gawking idiot, slowly regaining sensation back into his numb arms and legs. Was this some sort of trap? What was the boy-monster planning to do? Why had it brought him here? Why did it let him go?

Minutes lengthened and finally, Hijikata stood up, his legs wobbling like a newborn foal.

He took a deep breath and started walking.


End file.
